In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the "back to nature" movement and in enjoying life unencumbered by clothes. Most jurisdictions have regulations against public nudity and this acts as a restraint on those who would like to enjoy life in pretty much the state in which they were born. People will be people and those who would like to swim "in the raw", so to speak, have two choices if they wish to act unfettered: (a) wear no clothing, or, (b) wear a swimsuit on the beach and take it all off when at a safe distance from any Peeping Toms.
As noted above, option (a) is usually illegal and, in many instances, aesthetically unappealing. There are few things as disgusting as seeing it all hang out when the viewer is better off with it concealed. There is also the problem of finding a deserted location at which to take off the swimsuit. Facilities for discrete donning and removal of clothing may not exist at beaches and swimming pools. Removing clothing also presents problems in cold and/or windy weather.
Option (b), while aesthetically more appealing to the public at large, presents dangers to the swimmer. Taking the swimsuit off under water requires either bending down or stepping out of the swimsuit and can be dangerous and has the problem of collecting sand and grit inside the swimsuit. There is the additional problem of holding on to the garment once it has been taken off: if both hands are not devoted to the task, there is the risk of losing the swimsuit and the swimmer is back to the situation presented in option (a). Prior art swimsuits also present problems in putting the swimsuit back on. There is difficulty in identifying the proper holes into which legs must go, particularly in active surf. Once back on, any accumulated sand and grit can be very uncomfortable.
There is a need for a swimsuit that enables the law abiding swimmer to comply with applicable rules and regulations. Such a swimsuit should allow the swimmer to enter the water discretely clothed. Such a swimsuit should preferably be safe and easy to disengage from the human body. Such a swimsuit should remain attached to the human body without the use of hands. Such a swimsuit should be easy to put back on. In addition, it should preferably be aesthetically appealing in both the engaged and disengaged positions. The present invention satisfies this need.